Rolls-Royce SUV will arrive in 2017

The super-luxury SUV segment is becoming even hotter after Bentley’s entry because Rolls-Royce is also preparing to boost its sales with such a vehicle. According to Rolls-Royce design boss Giles Taylor, who spoke with Autocar, the British company is currently sketching the new SUV which will look more like a shooting brake rather than a crossover.

Other sources claimed that the Rolls-Royce SUV looks like a Mercedes-Benz GLK-plus-plus, which means that the company would be a member of the Ghost family and not based on the Phantom.

Set to arrive by 2017, the Rolls-Royce SUV will make its debut just in time to face its competition, the Bentley SUV. Although the BMW X7 could be the perfect platform for the new Rolls-Royce, it appears that BMW is preparing a more sophisticated architecture that uses steel, aluminum and carbonfibre-reinforced plastic.

This new architecture was previewed at the 2014 Beijing Motor Show, where BMW introduced the Vision Future Luxury Concept. If the new Rolls-Royce will be based on the second-generation Ghost family, we expect the new SUV to arrive first into the showroom. Still, a concept version of the new vehicle may arrive before its official debut.

Regarding the engine, Rolls-Royce may follow Bentley which will offer the 6.0-liter W12 petrol engine with 600 hp and 400 Nm of torque, but also a smaller 4.0-liter twin-turbocharged engine that generates over 500 hp. A hybrid version might also be considered as technology continues to evolve.

THe Rolls-Royce SUV is expected to arrive with a price tag of around 245,000 euros or $330,000. [source: autocar | Rendering: theophiluschin]

Autonomous cars are now becoming more of a reality as carmakers and their partners continue the development of self-driving technologies. Connected vehicles now actually exist but auto companies see that...